My thanks to NetGalley and Pixel Hall Press/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This book was too realistic for me. I tend to read to escape reality, not wallow in it and this book is nothing but wallow. Especially now, a year into the Pandemic, I need HAPPY and this book didn't give me that.

If you like well written, realistic to the point of depressing short stories, then this is the book for you. Please note, I only read the first three stories and all three were not to my liking. The forward did mention the realism and almost depressing aspect of the stories, so I presume the rest of the book is more of the same. I just can't handle that right now, so I DNF'd.

2, it's not the book for me, stars.

Book source ~ NetGalley

There are 18 short stories contained between these covers and not one of them was what I expected. The stories are sad, shocking, surprising and, most times, heart-breaking. They start out one way and end completely different than I expected. By the time I was partway through the collection, I stopped trying to anticipate where the stories were heading and just went with the flow. While each one is a bit bleak for my tastes, there’s no doubt that Nancy Christie has mastered the short story with her wonderful writing and tight plots.

Story titles:
Traveling Left of Center
Alice in Wonderland
The Sugar Bowl
The Shop on the Square
Watching for Billy
The Healer
The Clock
Anything Can Happen
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Misconnections
Skating on Thin Ice
Still Life
The StoryTeller
Exit Row
Waiting for Sara
Beautiful Dreamer
The Kindness of Strangers
Annabelle